Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, made yesterday a working visit to Ukraine, during which he met with the President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; the Prime Minister, Denyus Shmyhal; and his counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba. He also visited areas devastated by the Russian attacks, paid homage to the war dead and delivered 30 ambulances and 14 generators to alleviate energy supply problems.
Albares arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train after making the night journey from the Polish city of Pzemyzil to Kyiv. The minister then visited several areas shelled by Russia, both in Kyiv and in the town of Makariv, located 50 kilometers from the capital. “The first thing I did when I got off the train was to visit the buildings hit either by missiles or drones, and I went about 50 kilometers to see a village that has clearly been martyred for more than a month, where the kindergarten or the hospital is clearly destroyed by shelling,” Albares told the press.
“Moved by the destruction we have seen today in Kyiv and in the village of Makariv, and the pain with which the Ukrainian population has been living since last February 24,” Albares stated via his official Twitter account. “Spain will contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine, to recover infrastructures, its culture and heritage,” added the head of the Spanish diplomacy, who made a wreath to the fallen in the war together with Dmytros Kuleba and presented decorations to the staff of the Embassy of Spain in Kyiv.
Albares then attended, in Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv, the ceremony of delivery of 30 ambulances to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, donated by the Spanish Government and financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The ambulances, delivered to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), are equipped with material for consultations and emergency treatment for pregnant women and childbirth in Ukraine. “We are well aware that in this war there are flesh-and-blood people who suffer every day,” the minister stated. The aim of the ambulances, he added, is to try to improve something, which with “this brutal, unjust and unjustified war” is becoming “very difficult: being pregnant and giving birth.”
José Manuel Albares was later received by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denyus Shmyhal, who, according to the Ukrainian government, thanked Albares for his visit and for the donation of 30 ambulances, which “will soon be delivered to doctors and will help to save lives”. He also expressed his conviction that his country will implement “all the recommendations of the European Commission” and will be able to “start the negotiation process” for accession to the EU and expressed his hope that “Spain, which will chair the EU Council from July 2023, will contribute to this”. The head of the Executive and the minister also discussed the reconstruction of the energy infrastructure and the possible participation of UNESCO in the restoration and preservation of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
Meeting with Zelenskyy
Albares’ day concluded with a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, thanked Spain for its support to Ukraine, especially the reception of Ukrainians and the delivery of military and humanitarian material, and asked for the support of our country in the reconstruction of the country and urged Spain to take the initiative in this regard. The President also expressed his special thanks for the donation of 30 ambulances and 14 generators, coinciding with the problems due to the lack of energy supply, and discussed with Albares the possible joint candidacy for the 2030 soccer World Cup.
Apart from this, as reported by the Ukrainian Presidency, the President also expressed his gratitude for “the warm welcome and assistance to Ukrainian citizens who were forced to seek refuge in Spain due to the war” and Spain’s decision to transfer “air defense systems to Ukraine”. “For us today, the number one problem is providing strong air defense, creating an air shield to protect our critical and civilian infrastructure,” he warned. Zelenskyy also informed Albares that Ukraine aims to take concrete steps towards EU integration during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
On the other hand, Zelenskyy expressed his “hope that Spain will actively join in the reconstruction of Ukraine” and expressed confidence that the Spanish government will support the creation of a mechanism to compensate for the losses caused by Russia’s invasion and of a special international tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression.
